Is it permissible for some people to dig their own graves with their hands?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
It is not permissible for anyone to dig their grave in a public cemetery that they do not own, because it constitutes an encroachment and restricts others. However, it is permissible to do so on one's private property. Jurists such as Al-Hattab, Ibn Al-Jawzi, Al-Khatib Al-Shirbini, and Ibn 'Uthaymin have mentioned the prohibition of digging a grave in a waqf (endowed) cemetery before it is needed, i.e., before burial, because precedence in it is established by burial, not by digging.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/17085
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 17085
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy